All that being said, simply waiting for the rankings to be final wouldn't get the job done in terms of avoiding something like this, though it would help. The NCAA would have to step in and manage the whole process. The BCS bowls would have the make their picks, and then all the bowls with conference tie-ins would have to make theirs, and then there would still probably have to be an order established for filling the remaining spots.

Yeah, I'm definitely not advocating for that, just stating what would have to be done to make it totally "fair." And it's never going to happen. The NCAA let this one go a long time ago, and if they tried to take any real control back at this point, they'd likely find themselves without anything to govern in short order, because the big-time conferences would head out on their own.

Al: "What happened here was that you had several bowls (Liberty and Independence among them) that were at the bottom of a conference pick chain and knew just by numbers that they weren't going to get a team from their tie-in, so they were free to offer invites to any eligible team without a tie-in."

Pretty much explains it all and HAS NOTHING to do with rankings.There weren't going to be enough bowl eligible teams from the ACC nor the SEC regardless of rankings. Period.

Bigger travesty IMO, is MTSU getting shafted.

Motor City Bowl selected W Kentucky instead of MTSU, although MTSU beat W Kentucky on the road. MTSU also beat GA Tech on the road. Clearly the better team and better resume.

Al: "What happened here was that you had several bowls (Liberty and Independence among them) that were at the bottom of a conference pick chain and knew just by numbers that they weren't going to get a team from their tie-in, so they were free to offer invites to any eligible team without a tie-in."

Pretty much explains it all and HAS NOTHING to do with rankings.There weren't going to be enough bowl eligible teams from the ACC nor the SEC regardless of rankings. Period.

Bigger travesty IMO, is MTSU getting shafted.

Motor City Bowl selected W Kentucky instead of MTSU, although MTSU beat W Kentucky on the road. MTSU also beat GA Tech on the road. Clearly the better team and better resume.

Did you stop reading there? That's only half of it. The fact that those bowls had openings didn't have anything to do with the rankings, correct. The fact that Iowa State, who took the spot La Tech thought they had in the Liberty, was ultimately available had EVERYTHING to do with the rankings. If NIU doesn't wind up in the Top 16, OK goes to the BCS and Iowa State is in a Big 12 affiliated bowl. The Big 12 had more bowl-eligible teams than tie-ins because of how the final rankings turned out.

Posted by stinenavy on 12/4/2012 9:57:00 PM (view original):The less power the NCAA has, the better. No one is shedding a tear because LA Tech shot themselves in the foot, beside Karl Malone.

Can't say I'm crying over it, but I'd definitely rather see the kids on LA_TECH play a bowl game than see a gaylord team like WIS get a premiere bowl game, or see ****-tastic GA_TECH (6-7) in a bowl. LA_TECH kids played hard all year, went 9-3, and it's a real shame that their season has been abruptly cut short, largely due to a 'ripple effect' caused by uncertainty in BCS rankings. Their AD was trying to do what was best for the school (in terms of $$, sure, but also in terms of tv, opponent, pride etc) but lost out on a calculated risk. Totally ***** over every kid on that team, especially the seniors, most of whom will never play football again. I wish the NCAA would do something about this, even something as simple as 'the best x teams, determined by WPCT, are bowl eligible' instead of the current 6-win mark, or 'no bowls may offer bids until all rankings are finalized' or whatever - point is, do something.

MTSU got the shaft, too. I wish the 'crud' teams would split off from the 'BCS' conferences and form their own championship. That'd be a lot better than pretending they're all playing for the same thing.

BTW, your idea is probably closer to fruition than you think. Soon enough, there will be 4-6 "major" conferences of 16 teams. SEC, B1G and PAC# will lead the way. The B12, ACC and desperate Big East are doing their best to remain relevant. My guess is the B12 will be the 4th. That's roughly half of all FBS teams in 4 conferences. If Clemson, FSU and Miami find homes in the other 4, the ACC is left without a "football" school. I'm not sure the Big East has a football school left(in part because I don't know who's still there after 2012-2013). They're probably better served as "basketball" schools anyway.

So why would those big 4 even want to let another of those conferences in on their bowl money?

I don't get how they're not in a bowl game (I get their own ignorance/arrogance)...but they're 9-3 and we're ranked a few weeks throughout the season...there are at least 35 bowl games, which means 70 of 124 FBS teams get Field Day ribbons, and they aren't one of them? Wow....

I'm going to the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl most likely, and would rather see them than perhaps the local Central Michigan team

Georgia Tech gets the Sun Bowl with a losing record? Get the ****...out...I believe they're only the second team in bowl history to make a bowl game with a losing record...the other was North Texas in 2001? Am I missing any?

The fact that 6-6 teams are making CC games routinely, is pathetic...Wisconsin had no business being in the Big 10 Title game, despite blowing out Nebraska...easiest road to a CC ever...4-4 in conference...gtfo

Posted by colonels19 on 12/8/2012 1:41:00 PM (view original):The fact that 6-6 teams are making CC games routinely, is pathetic...Wisconsin had no business being in the Big 10 Title game, despite blowing out Nebraska...easiest road to a CC ever...4-4 in conference...gtfo

It's happened twice in the last 2 years, but I'd hardly call it routine. I don't think a 6-6 team has ever been the actual division champion, there's just been teams that either through NCAA sanctions or self-imposed postseason bans couldn't play in the CC. Same with Wisconsin. I'm not really sure what you do there short of cancelling the title game and declaring the other division winner the champion, but obviously that's never going to happen.